Roxanne's Story
by bennovotny
Summary: Roxanne talks about "A Goofy Movie" from her point of view, as well as her greatest tragedy.


Chapter 1: Charlie

1

Hey everyone, this is Roxanne, Max's girlfriend from "A Goofy Movie". Since the film was told through the point of view of Max and his dad, I decided to write a little bit about myself and "AGF" from my perspective. I mean come on, I was the tritagonist of the entire film, and I only got to speak for what, five minutes?

I moved to Spoonerville, a suburb of New York, from New York itself with my parents about a year ago. I hated leaving New York-the sights, the sounds, just the whole business of it all. I especially miss Central Park, which was just down the street from our three-story brownstone on West 83rd Street. Spoonerville is ok, but it's nothing compared to living in The Big Apple.

My mom never appears in "AGF" because she's working all the time. She is a senior partner at a Downtown New York law firm. I can't say I know exactly what type of law my mom does, but I do know she has a lot of famous clients-Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Sebastian from "The Little Mermaid"-pretty much anyone who is really big in the Disney universe. She graduated from Harvard Law School magna cum laude, top of her class, valedictorian and all. I look up to my mom for all of her achievements. I mean, who else can say that their mom graduated from Harvard, of all places? Still, that doesn't mean that we get along all the time. My mom can be extremely strict. I feel that she's always keeping an eye on me making sure I don't get into trouble even though I haven't done anything that would even remotely put me in juvenile hall.

I guess I'm sort of biased towards Daddy cause he pretty much lets me do whatever I want. Daddy used to work as a security guard at McDuck Tower back in New York while back but he got injured on the job. I know you probably don't like Daddy that much because of the way he treated Max. He can be so overprotective sometimes. But he's really not that bad once you get to know him. He can actually be very sweet.

2

There's also something else you should know about me, and that is I have an older brother.

Had an older brother.

Charlie was the best big brother a little sister could have. Most big brothers view their little sisters as a nuisance, but not Charlie. He was my rock. I could always knock on his door down the hall and talk to him about whatever was going on in my world.

I must have sat on Charlie's bed a million times going on and on about whatever stupid problem I has having. But Charlie would listen. And he would try to cheer me up. And he would always say something that would make me smile.

If it wasn't for Charlie, my name wouldn't be Roxanne. A few days after the day I was born my parents wrapped me up and took me from home from the hospital. My crib was ready, my room was covered with wallpaper of bunnies, ducklings, and baby lambs, and I had lots and lots of toys. But there was one thing I was missing, and that was an actual name.

As my mom went through a list of names I screamed like crazy. I'm sure I screamed the loudest when she came up with Marta, which is just like her name Martha except without the H. Meanwhile, Charlie who was seven at the time was practicing on the piano. All of a sudden he starts playing "Roxanne"by The Police and I began to smile and laugh. That's when my parents decided that Roxanne was the name for me. It's kind of like how Beethoven got his name now that I think about it.

What's even more amazing is that Charlie didn't even have the sheet music for the song. Here was this seven year old kid, and by just looking at the keys was able to imitate a song he had just learned on the radio. Music was Charlie's life, his desire, and his passion. His dream was to become a music superstar, traveling the world, performing in front of billions of people. From the time I turned 1 Charlie would sing to me on my birthday. And it would always be a different song, so whenever my birthday was just around the corner, the thing I anticipated the most (besides the presents of course) was which song my big brother would sing.

It was Charlie who introduced me to Powerline. One day he burst into my room with this new album and placed it on my record player. It was from this new artist named Powerline. Nobody on our block knew who he was, but Charlie was convinced he was going to be the biggest mustical artist the world had ever known. Listening to the opening music was very uplifting, and then there were the lyrics.

 _Got myself a notion_

 _And one I'll know that you'll understand_

 _To set the world in motion_

 _By reaching out for each other's hand_

All of a sudden I felt like dancing. I got up and just started dancing around. Just me and my big brother dancing throughout the entire song. We danced throughout the entire album. And then we danced to it again. And again. Until my mom told us we had to go to go to bed because it was already midnight and we had school the next day. Now whenever I get stressed or have a bad day I just put an album on my record player and let the music control me. I hope to become a professional dancer someday. That is my number one dream.

3

Charlie died one late October morning when I was nine. I woke up that morning to old time swing music. I came downstairs and there was Charlie dancing with mom in the kitchen. Charlie looked a lot like the Fonz, what with his greasy slick black hair, leather jacket, blue denim jeans and black boots. My mom looks a lot like me, except her hair is short and the same color as Charlie's, and she wore a blue pantsuit.

As soon as Charlie saw me he swooped down to pick me up. He held my tiny hand and we started dancing to the music.

"Hey kiddo! Did you get taller last night?"

I giggled.

"Oh I think you did", he said smiling. "And more beautiful. I'm gonna have to hire a few bodyguards to keep all the boys away".

"Now Charlie, there will be plenty of time for boys", said mom as she placed bacon and eggs for me on the kitchen table.

"Where's Daddy?" I asked.

"He had work early this morning", said my mom as she poured herself coffee.

As I dug in Charlie sat down next to me.

"You got a type? You know I started to have a type at your age".

Charlie was very popular with the ladies. They adored him. He wasn't necessarily what I would call a "ladies man", but he did have a lot of girlfriends. Some of them were cool, some of them were mean, but what they all had in common was that Charlie was the greatest.

I gulped the eggs and thought for a moment.

"I guess I would want someone who could sing and dance as well as Powerline, but it's not like that will ever happen."

My mom's coffee mug crashed onto the floor.

"Oh my God!" screamed my mom, her eyes wide and her fingers to her mouth. "The jury selection for Mr. Toad's case! It's in 10 minutes!"

"Mom relax", said Charlie. "Don't worry about it, I'll take Roxanne to school".

"Will you? Oh, thank you so much Charlie you're a lifesaver".

As Charlie and my mom were talking all my 9-year old self could think was-YAAAAAAAYYY! The Thunderbird! The Thunderbird! I get to ride in the Thunderbird!

Charlie drove this gorgeous yellow 1955 Ford Thunderbird convertible, and I loved it. I loved the wind blowing through my hair and seeing the beautiful moon glow as the car drove throughout the night as the two of us sang along to whatever was on the radio. Often Charlie would take me to a drive through movie, and we would watch the movie in the Thunderbird along with our burgers, fries, and milkshakes.

I raced down the steps outside and got to the car before Charlie did. He put the keys into the ignition, and with the push of a button the top slowly came off.

I closed my eyes and felt the cool breeze across my face as the car careened down the street. The leaves were beginning to fall, a few of them on my face, which caused me to giggle.

Halloween was just around the corner, but I was still undecided about what I was going to be going as. I thought about going as Madonna, but Mom thought that was too inappropriate for my age. I still had a few days to come up with something.

Charlie parked the Thunderbird right in front of PS 407 just as the bell rang. I jumped out and was running to class when Charlie called out to me.

"Yo, Roxanne!"

He got out of the car and took off his leather jacket.

"I want you to have this".

He kneeled down in front of me, laying the jacket across my shoulders and putting my arms through the sleeves, I was speechless. I had always wanted a leather jacket just like Charlie's.

"Wow", he said. "You look like a rock star! Wait till all the boys see this!"

"But Charlie, you love this jacket", I said. "Besides, I think it might be a little too big".

"Nah, you'll grow into it kiddo", he said. "I don't need it anymore".

He tilted his head to a small puddle.

"Go have a look".

I went to take a look at myself. Although it was a little big, I thought the jacket looked pretty cool on me. For fun I did a little modeling pose.

The bell rang again and I ran to Charlie to give him a great big hug.

"Thanks big brother", I said.

4

My leather jacket was a huge hit at school that day. At lunch a ton of kids came up to me to ask me about it. How much did it cost? Where did I get it? Was it made of real leather? My jacked was all anyone could really talk about.

That is, until we heard the sirens.

We all rushed to the fence to see a cop car racing down the street, its sirens flashing in broad daylight. And then another cop car rushed by. And then another. And then at last an ambulance rushed past us, so I knew something terrible had happened.

But it never crossed my mind that it was something that would affect me.

5

After lunch Mrs. Lane was lecturing the class about fractions, emphasizing that we would be tested on it the next day.

"Ms. Reed!" she shouted at me in her thick Eastern European accent. "Quit passing notes in my class and solve the problem on the board!"

Hey, I thought, I wasn't passing notes in class, Jessica Stein was the one who started it. I just happened to have the note in my hand when she was looking. But nobody dared argue with Mrs. Lane.

I have no memory of what the problem was that was on the board. All I remember was that I got it wrong.

"Ay yay yay! You kids and you're stupid computers!"

Whenever we got a question wrong, she always blamed it on the "stupid computers".

I went back to my seat embarrassed. Just as Mrs. Lane was about to ask another student to solve the problem, Ms. Kniss, one of the school counselors, came into the room. I thought Ms. Kniss was very pretty. She seriously could have been a model.

"What are you doing interrupting my class?" asked Mrs. Lane while angrily pointing her ruler at Ms. Kniss.

Ms. Kniss walked over and whispered in Mrs. Lane's ear. As she did so, Mrs. Lane's expression transformed from one of anger to one of shock. She dropped the ruler to the floor. I thought I saw them both looking over at me.

"Roxanne, can you come with me to my office?" said Ms. Kniss.

Shouts of "ooooohh" and "Roxanne's in trouble" and laughter filled the class as I left it.

I could hear Mrs. Lane shouting at the other kids to pay attention as Ms. Kniss and I walked down the hallway to her office. To me it was a long walk to the guillotine. My heart pounded hard inside my chest. I had never felt so nervous in my whole life. I knew that I was in trouble, but what was I in trouble for? My mind drew a blank.

Ms. Kniss was quiet the whole way to her office. She turned on the light and we stepped inside.

"I have some chocolate chip cookies", said Ms. Kniss as she closed the door. "Would you like some?"

I was now really confused. Why was she offering me chocolate chip cookies if I was in trouble?

I nodded. She went to a tray of cookies that were on her desk next to her computer.

"Ms. Kniss, am I in trouble?"

She looked over at me sympathetically.

"No Roxanne. You're not in trouble".

I was so relieved! There was nothing to worry about.

"Would you like some milk to?" she asked.

"Yes please!"

You never have to ask a kid twice whether they want milk and cookies.

I tore right into the cookie right when she set it down on the tiny round desk in her office. She pulled up a chair to sit with me.

"Is that a new jacket?" she asked.

"Do you like it? It's my big brother's, he gave it to me this morning".

Ms. Kniss suddently became very silent.

"Y-you're brother gave that to you?"

I nodded happily.

"What time?"

"Right before school started", I said. "Why?"

She got up and placed a Kleenex box on the desk. The room became very tense. I could tell something was not right.

"Ms. Kniss? What's going on?"

She sighed and gently took a hold of my hand.

"Roxanne, something, something happened to your brother" .

"Something happened to Charlie?! Oh my God, is he hurt?"

Ms. Kniss looked me straight in the eye sympathetically.

"Roxanne", she said with a tear in her eye, "your brother is dead".

I was dumbfounded for a moment. I couldn't believe it. It just seemed so unreal to me.

"No, no, he can't be dead", I said shaking my head. I was starting to get emotional.

"Your mom just called me. Roxanne I am so sorry".

I began crying. I couldn't believe my big brother was gone.

"Did mommy say how Charlie died?"

I looked up at her. Her face looked uncomfortable.

"Um, she did".

"Was it an accident?" I asked.

"Roxanne, this is very hard for me to tell you"-

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT"S HARD FOR YOU TO TELL ME?" I screamed. "TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BIG BROTHER!"

I got off the chair and threw it over. I was fuming.

Ms. Kniss bent down and put her hands on my shoulders.

"Roxanne"-

"TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO CHARLIE!"

Ms. Kniss used one of her hands to brush back my hair. She sighed before continuing.

"Roxanne, do you know what a suicide is?"

I shook my head.

"A suicide is when someone ends their life intentionally. Roxanne, Charlie…your brother…he intentionally ended his life this morning".

I was very still, but the inside of me was like a raging storm.

"How?" I asked quietly, my eyes completely welled up, shaking with rage.

She sighed again.

"With a gun".

"WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?!" I screamed as I threw the plate and glass against the wall. I was now on the floor, wailing. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT CHARLIE?! WHY WOULD YOU KILL YOURSELF?!"

I felt a large paw on my shoulder. I looked up to see Daddy, and by the look on his face I could tell that he also received the news. I went straight into his arms, sobbing into his chest. He carried me all the way to the car. I was too weak to move.

The cop cars and the ambulance that had rushed past the playground were now parked right in front of our house. A few neighbors had come outside wondering what was going on.

"Rex! Roxanne!"

Mom rushed over and embraced us. She drove back home when she realized she forgot her legal briefs and was just about to walk out the door again when she heard the gun go off.

I saw a black body bag being carried on a stretcher inside the ambulance. The body that had once belonged to my big brother.

I ran towards it.

"Roxanne!" my mother called out to me.

I threw myself onto Charlie, and rested my head on his chest.

"I love you Charlie", I said crying, my tiny fingers digging deeply into the leather. I had not told Charlie I loved him that morning, and it was killing me inside.

"I love you, I love you, I love you"…

The paramedics took me off the body bag and placed it inside the ambulance.

"NOO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I screamed. "I HAVEN'T SAID GOODBYE YET!"

The ambulance ran off down the street. I ran after it, but Daddy grabbed onto me.

"CHARLIE!" I screamed. "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY GOODBYE!YOU NEVER SAID GOODBYE!"

I was now lying in the middle of the street. My whole world was shattered.

6

It puts a chill down my spine knowing that Charlie was so happy and carefree that morning because he had finally made the decision to end his life.

Charlie kept his depression a secret from everyone, including my parents. I wish he would have told me about it. I wish he would have told me he was thinking of killing himself before he did it. I would have told him how much I needed him and how sad I would be if he did something like that. Didn't he understand that he could always knock on my door just like I could always knock on his?

I couldn't go back to school for the rest of the semester. When my classmates heard about what happened they sent flowers and stuffed animals and homemade sympathy cards. I even got chocolate. But nothing could relive the pain of knowing that I would never see my big brother ever again.

I started seeing the school shrink regularly when I came back. But it was dancing that was my real therapy. Mom enrolled me in an after school dance program. I had always wanted to join a dance program but I never thought I would be any good. Now it was no longer something I desired, it was something I needed, needed to keep my sanity and composure in check. I wish I had joined a dance program before Charlie died, because I know in my heart he would have been to every performance.

The leather jacket still hangs in my closet. I haven't worn it since the day Charlie died. But I still keep it because it reminds me so much of him, that he was actually here on this Earth, that he was my big brother who loved and cared for me and believed in me.

Mom ended up selling the Thunderbird. I was so mad when she did that, and still am to a degree. She kept telling me we'll get you a new car when you get your license, blah blah blah. But it wasn't about me getting Charlie's car. I didn't feel comfortable about there being a complete stranger driving the Thunderbird. It didn't feel right that someone would benefit from his suicide.

The firsts are always the hardest-your first birthday without him, your first Christmas without him. My birthday was especially hard because I was so used to him singing to me, but now I would never hear his voice again. After a while time passes and it's not as painful, but I still tend to get a bit grouchy around Charlie's birthday and the anniversary of his death.

Except for Stacy, nobody at Spoonerville High knows that I have an older brother who committed suicide. Although she is a chatterbox, Stacy is my best friend because I can tell her anything and she will keep it a secret, just between the two of us. There must be a million things I've told her that I've never told anyone else. That is why I think she was elected student body president. Because people know they can trust her.

Charlie would have turned 21 on Saturday. But thankfully Stacey was going to throw a huge party that day, so that would help me get my mind off things. Powerline was doing his first concert in two years, his first since the molestation allegations (which are totally bogus by the way) so for every kid at school, heck every kid on the entire planet, this was a must-see event.

Stacy told me there would be dancing at the party, and suggested that I bring a date. As the last day of school approached I still didn't have someone to go to the party with. But I knew exactly whom I was going to ask.


End file.
